True Blue
by Poppy471
Summary: Who stays true to their Breakfast Club promises? Allison finds out Monday morning. Andy/Allison, Allison-cenric Rated T for language AN: I have finally come back and finished this story!
1. Monday

**AN: I have finally finished this story!**

 _I need to give my beta, vaguekiwi, a big thank you for all her hard work and assistance._

As Allison sinks into the scalding bath, she contemplates the dreaded Monday that has finally arrived. Her body is soothed by the hot water, but her brain can't stop tumbling over and over the same things. Brian is the only one Allison feels she can depend on. He will not abandon the new friends he made in detention. Bender is an asshole, so whatever, he can do what he likes. Andy? Who knows? As for Claire, she expects nothing. Claire's kind are fake and say things they don't mean all the time. Allison thinks Claire will ignore them all.

The game she played, lying about being a nymphomaniac to get a rise out of Claire, was fun. Bender was the only one who really enjoyed it the same way she did. He gave her a covert, amused look that told her for the moment at least it was the two of them against the normals.

Somehow during that long afternoon she shed her usual armor, talked of her heart, talked of what she cared about. She never talks, except to lie to Hashimoto. She never tells the truth, the truth of loneliness and unhappiness, of tears shed at midnight with no witnesses.

But Bender… At the very beginning of detention he gave her a look and said, "I've seen you before, you know."

A complete asshole thing to do. He knew she couldn't say anything about where they knew each other from, and he held it over her head. He knew she didn't want anyone to know about her trip to the juvenile facility. That's where he had seen her. He had been there before her and he left after her, so he must have been there at least 4 days. After experiencing the facility, she knows four days is a very long time to be locked up. He was there on possession charges and she was there for shoplifting. They only kept her one full day, but it was enough to scare her out of trying any light fingered tricks again.

She hadn't really wanted that wristwatch. She was taking it to take it. A security guard in plain clothes following her around was not something she anticipated. He chased her half way down the block and finally caught her by the arm and dragged her back to the security room. She sat there, stony faced, while he dialed the police and her parents.

Allison ended up with 6 months of probation. She had to go downtown to the correctional facilities administrative building every week to report to her probation officer. Her parents never came with her or gave her a ride. They didn't seem to care very much that she got busted, or that she received a light punishment, or really anything about the incident. She might as well have been invisible. The only acknowledgment she got was when they had to pick her up from juvie. Then she was only told that it was an inconvenience that they had to pick her up as they were dining with the Browns that night.

She hadn't really expected much of a response. They had ignored the call Hashimoto made after sending her home with notes three times. Of course she didn't deliver the notes, but opened them and read them for herself. It was hard to see herself described clinically, as if she were not a real person Hashimoto had talked to many times, but an abstract specimen. The first note sort of took the air out of her, made it hard to breathe, but the next two were identical, so they were not so shocking. It gave her a place in the world. Uninteresting to her parents and a clinical specimen to Hashimoto. She had started softening a bit with Hashimoto before those notes and had actually considered saying something about being ignored by her parents, feeling alone in the world, being miserable, instead of the rambling, transparent lies she usually fed him.

And then that asshole John Bender taunted her with her stay in juvie. She settled back into her basket case mode, making herself invisible. From this place of safety, she watched the others. The jock, the princess, the geek and that damn Bender. They forgot about her. People always forget about her.

* * *

It is Bender who finds her first, Monday morning.

"Hey Wingnut, you seen anyone else?" Bender says to Allison. Then he turns and waves to someone. "She's over here!"

Brian the brain appears in the crowded hallway, carrying a bulging backpack, like a snail carrying its shell. When he joins them he says, "Hi Allison. Bender, I haven't seen her. I walked past the junior lockers, and the girl's toilet and the courtyard-"

Bender interrupts, "Here she comes now." They all look down the hallway to the front doors where Claire Standish is entering, flanked by Mandy and Heidi, two of the most popular girls in the school. The three Breakfast Club members stand in a row, watching. Claire reaches Allison first. Allison puts on her deepest scowl, expecting the worst. Claire makes eye contact but quickly breaks the connection, turning to Heidi to say something. Claire walks past the other two with her head turned to catch Heidi's answer.

"Yo Queenie, aren't you going to say hi?" Bender throws this at her averted profile. She keeps walking and Bender breaks from the line of Breakfast Club members and says in a carrying voice, "You are a bitch." Heidi turns, looking puzzled and Allison can see her asking Claire a question. Claire shakes her head and speeds up.

Bender turns back to the other two. "The Princess isn't holding court apparently."

Brian coughs nervously. Allison looks back to the front doors and sees Andrew Clark. She nudges Bender. Bender turns to look as well. Andy spots them and makes a beeline for the group.

Allison can't seem to reduce her deep frown. She wants to smile, to open her mouth, to say something, but she is frozen. She must not look encouraging because Andy slows down, hesitation in his step. But then their eyes meet and all she sees is his face. A tiny smile quirks the corner of his mouth. Allison manages to open her mouth, but nothing comes out. Andy stops just before her, close enough for her to hear his whisper, "I won't go away." Their eyes meet and she wants to look away, to hide as she always hides, but he has captured her.

Bender clears his throat loudly. When Allison unglues her eyes from Andy's, Bender says, "Finally. You two love birds done making googly eyes at each other? We got serious business to attend to. Where are we eating lunch?"

Andy has now put his arm around Allison's shoulders and she leans into his warmth while he debates with Bender. Her head is whirling too much to follow the conversation very well.

"Okay, okay, Sport, you made your point. Let's meet in the caf then," is Bender's final word. The bell rings and they all part, going their separate ways.

* * *

During history class Allison notices her pencil has been tracing a familiar likeness, soft eyes looking up at her. How could this be happening? Saturday she was a lone outpost, no relief in sight. Now she is included, desired, sought after. No one made fun of her or called her names. Well, Bender called her names, but he calls everyone names. And she won't be eating lunch alone. But for how long? What if the jocks and richies pressure Andy? He can't think for himself. They might convince him to ditch her as a weirdo. That's all anyone ever thinks of her, weirdo. Look at Claire. She is afraid of her friends. She wants to fit in and be popular. And really, who wouldn't want to be popular? Andy is like Claire, folding to pressure. Look what he did to Lester because he thought he was following in his father's footsteps. Yeah, he can't think for himself and he's sure to do what his friends want him to do. Idiot. He's an idiot for bending to pressure. She's an idiot for expecting anything different.

Allison is glowering when she enters the cafeteria. Brian waves at her from across the room and she makes her way through the crowds of students. When she arrives, Bender has straddled a chair turned backwards and is picking at his glove, apparently unconcerned about who might see him hanging out with the geek and the basket case. When he looks up, pushing his hair back out of his face, his smile is peeking out, despite his attempt to look bored and cool.

"Psycho, you made it. Sporto said he'd be right back."

Allison sees Andy's letterman jacket hanging over the back of a chair and his backpack in the chair itself. She takes a step back, not quite believing what she is seeing. She had talked herself into the idea that Andy would ditch them all, and now here he is.

"You gonna sit, Psycho, or just stand there looking all day?" Bender's insulting names, Psycho and Wingnut and Basket Case, feel friendly and affectionate, not hateful and teasing. Not how he'd pronounced "Queenie" when Claire walked by.

Barely noticing what she's doing, she sinks into the chair next to Andy's, plunking her enormous bag down in front of her. Now she sees Andy in the cafeteria line.

By the time Andy reaches the table, Allison is nonchalantly crushing Capn' Crunch cereal into a slice of white bread. He settles himself next to her and turns to look at her with… well, she has never seen this look directed at herself, but it must be infatuation. She flashes her dark eyes his way, meets his for a long moment, then she turns back to her cereal crushing operation. She can't control the smile that is creeping onto her face. Andy seems content with this. He scoots his chair up to the table as if getting ready for serious work and opens the first of three cartons of milk.

When Allison takes a bite, she looks over her huge sandwich and sees that Bender's contempt and scorn are real now. She doesn't need to turn in her chair to know he's looking at Claire. He rises and plucks out the cigarette he had been keeping behind one ear.

"Later guys, gotta catch a smoke."

Brian has been watching all of this with great interest. He continues watching Bender as Allison goes back to her sandwich and Andy picks up his milk again. But before Andy can take a sip or Allison take a bite, Brian says, "Look."

Andy and Allison turn to see Bender leaning over the popular princess table. Claire's mouth is open in shock. Bender tosses his hair back and slouches off, looking utterly unperturbed. He tosses a remark over his shoulder that makes Claire cover her face. She seems to be crying.

"Serves her right," Andy says.

"She's still crying," Brian reports. "Now she's leaving the table."

Turning things over in her mind, Allison remarks, "She must feel like shit." She, Allison, knows she'd feel like a piece of crap if someone like Bender despised her for being weak and self-centered.

"Good, she should feel like shit." Andy bristles with anger.

"Did you really expect anything else, Andy?" Allison asks. "She cried and acted like she was sorry, but she never said she would change."

* * *

After her last class, Allison approaches her locker and finds Andy there.

"Hey, Allison." Allison meeps and feels panic. Andrew Clark can't really be seeking her out. What if she does something wrong? What if she is too socially stupid, what if she is too weird, what if he goes away?

"I can't hang out today."

A large weight shifts in Allison's chest and she droops. Maybe he doesn't want to be seen with her. Maybe he is tired of her. Maybe she is just too strange. Unacceptable.

"I can come early to meet you tomorrow," Andy says. His voice comes to her distorted and warped by her fear. When he pulls her close, she is struck dumb with surprise. Here in Shermer High, Andy is hugging her. Where anyone could see. He pulls her closer. She shakes her hair out of her eyes so she can look at him properly. Just like in detention, just like this morning, she finds she cannot look away. They fall into a long, breathless kiss, totally forgetting where they are, until they both are jarred by someone whacking Andy on the shoulder.

"You can do that later, loverboy. Time for practice."

It's Coach Cunningham.

Allison watches Andy's back retreating until he is obscured by the students milling in the hallway. She slowly sorts her books and packs her bag with what she'll need tonight. Algebra, World History and Civics. When she closes her combination lock and turns to leave, the crowded hallway has cleared and she finds herself looking at Brian Johnson. He's leaning against the opposite wall, looking pleased.

"Hey, Allison. I know you live in Liberty Heights, and my house is on the way there. Do you… do you want to walk together?" Now he looks stricken as if he's said something awful. "I mean, as friends. Not like…"

Just then Claire appears at the end of the corridor. She isn't paying attention and doesn't notice Allison and Brian until they are facing each other. For once she's alone, not part of a flock of popular girls. Her mouth opens but nothing comes out. Brian and Allison look at her expectantly. When she fails to say anything, Allison says, "Claire, I feel sorry for you, because we are real people who have real feelings for our friends, not fake people who only care about themselves."

Claire closes her mouth and puts on a haughty expression. Before she can say anything, Allison murmurs to Brian, "C'mon, let's go." They turn their backs on Claire and head for the front exit.

* * *

Allison bangs the front door to their house shut. Really it's not hers, just her parents. She's like a house guest who has over stayed her welcome. When they moved from their last house, she hadn't unpacked the boxes containing her belongings. They would be moving again in a year or so, after her parents fixed up the house and resold it. This house, like all the others she had lived in, was under renovation. Sometimes the bathroom shower was sealed off with sheets of plastic, sometimes plaster dust crunched underfoot, once the entire house was stripped down to its under flooring, except for the bedrooms. The ceiling fixture in her room is two dangling wires. She uses the study lamp clamped onto the desk for light. So she drops her purse onto a box labeled "Misc." in her mother's handwriting and puts her books on the cluttered desk. She might as well get started on her homework. She extracts her civics textbook from the pile and opens it to page 164.

Her parents aren't home by dinner time, so Allison must fend for herself. She prepares a bowl of cereal and grabs a banana. As she is bringing her meal to her room, the phone rings. She never answers it because it is never for her, just real estate agents and contractors and her parents socially correct friends. She lets the answering machine pick up. She is almost to her bedroom door when she hears Andy's voice. She slops cereal and milk onto the floor in her haste to grab the phone.

"Hello." The shout bursts out of her, sounding like Andy was an unwanted salesman. She gets a hold of herself, tries to get control of her voice and peeps, "Hi." It's all she can squeak out.

"Hey Allison. I can't talk long," Andy hurries to say. "If my dad catches me, I'm dead. Tomorrow? Meet me at 7:30 in front of the school, OK?"

Allison manages an affirmative sound.

"I've been thinking of you all day," Andy says in a low voice.

"I…" Allison doesn't know what to say. "Me too," she blurts out.

"Gotta go Al, here comes dad. See you tomorrow." Click.


	2. Sharkey's

True to his word, Andy is waiting for Allison at the school's front door Tuesday morning. He greets her with a kiss on the cheek and pulls her by the hand, not into the school but around to the side of the building. Here they find a sort of vestibule, leading to a service entry.

As they settle on the steps, Allison notices Andy's tight face and furrowed brow. He kicks at a pebble with surprising viciousness. "My dad is really getting to me. Win, win, win, it's all he thinks about. I can't have a girlfriend because I need to get picked by a scout and get into a good school, and nothing else matters. I don't matter. Just winning."

Allison puts her hand on his arm. When he turns to look at her, she meets his eyes and tries to tell him by her look that she understands not mattering. Feeling this is not enough, she ventures to say, "You matter to me." Andy is fighting back tears. Allison puts an arm around him and he burrows into her shoulder. They stay that way until the bell rings.

"We should go to Sharkey's Saturday night." Bender has to shout to be heard above the din in the cafeteria. He looks at them expectantly.

"I don't know, Bender. My parents might not let me go," Brian responds.

"My dad isn't too hot on me socializing with anyone but the team," says Andy. Allison looks on with interest. Her parents, of course, don't care where she is or what she does. "I figured someone like you'd have a party to go to, Bender," Andy adds.

"Yeah, there's a big party at some warehouse, but I can hang a little before heading over," Bender says. "Look Dork, tell your parents it's a Physics Club event, and Sporto, you can lie too." Bender looks at Allison. "You cool, Basket Case?" She nods.

Allison has heard of Sharkey's, but it isn't the sort of place she'd go to alone, and she's never had friends to go with before. Having friends is novel, and someplace to go with them is as well. And if Andy wants to go there with her, he definitely wants her to be his girlfriend, for real, in front of everyone, the jocks and the richies and the activities people. Suddenly Allison realizes this will be her first date, ever. But maybe Andy doesn't want to go. He said his dad wouldn't like it. He could use that as an excuse. When she looks up, she is surprised to see Andy looking more furious than she's ever seen him.

"Screw him, I'm going. I'll tell him some story," Andy growls.

"Way to go, Sporto. Brain?"

Brian squirms a bit, but when he looks up, he says, "Yeah, me too. Count me in." Bender gives them a look, half a smile hiding behind arrogant coolness.

Retrieving his cigarette from behind his ear, he says, "Gotta go. Places to be, people to see."

Andy is still fuming, repeatedly stabbing his meatloaf instead of eating it. He seems to see what he is doing and stops jabbing the meat, but he is still holding the knife when he says, "That's it. I've had it with all this BS from my father. Screw him and his scholarship." He seems to be talking to himself, then notices he's pointing his knife at Brian. He puts down the knife and continues savagely, "It's time for me to have some fun. He can go to hell."

Allison's week passes quickly with so much to think about. Andy and his father, going on her first date, going to Sharkey's. She has been agonizing over her clothes and makeup. She wants to look good for the date, but does she want to change into a new person for it? The way Claire fixed her up? She still has the bow, and she could get some different makeup, not the black shit she usually uses. But is that who she wants to be? A new person?

She decides to go to Thrift City Friday after school, to see if something calls to her. What she finds is a compromise. It's not her usual dowdy monochrome clothes, but not a richie princess look either. It is a cocktail dress in deep blue, from the sixties. The neck line is a bit low, and it sort of feels like it might slide off with no straps, but it is beautiful and somehow suits her current feelings.

She chooses a few other items, to spruce up her bland wardrobe. A scarlet scarf, some really crazy socks with yellow and orange diamonds, and shoes. The shoes are to go with the dress. She can't drag her shit around in that huge bag of hers, so she also gets a slim clutch in black. Her total at the check out is $14.79, much more than she usually spends, but well worth it.

Saturday she treats herself to a long bubble bath and paints her toenails. She bites her fingernails to the quick but her toenails are intact. The blue polish matches the dress.

Allison is glad her parents are out, dining with the Simpsons, so she doesn't have to listen to their arguments. They argue about everything, what to make for breakfast, what color to paint the spare bedroom, who to invite to their dinner parties, who will drive to the pharmacy. Maybe if they noticed Allison they would argue about her too. Sometimes her invisibility does have good aspects. She certainly won't have a curfew or have to introduce Andy to them.

Andy arrives in the Bronco and walks up to her front door before he sees Allison on the porch swing. She has been sitting in the shadows, smelling the night jasmine and looking at the clouds scudding across the sky.

When she rises and Andy sees her, he is speechless. Allison smiles at this reaction. Pulling a little curtsy, she asks, "How do you like it?"

Andy finds his voice and says, "You look... beautiful." He sounds as if mere words are not enough to describe his feelings. Finally, he seems to snap out of his trance and offers her his hand. She takes it and they walk down to the Bronco together.

When they reach Brian's house, Andy sounds the horn and Brian comes rushing out. He scrambles into the back and they head to Sharkey's. Bender promised to meet them there.

They pull into the parking lot and find a space with some difficulty. Apparently the place is packed. Allison finds she is shaking with nerves. This is her debut at the popular diner and high school hang out spot. Everyone goes to Sharkey's. Now she will too. She never thought this would happen.

Andy, Allison and Brian walk towards the front of the building. There are groups of people leaning against cars and Allison sees some of them passing bottles. At the front there is the double row of cars parked at an angle under a split fifties roof that looks like it is about to take off into space. These are the drive-in spots with curb side service. All the popular kids have taken these spots. Allison thinks she glimpses Claire in a silver Mercedes, but isn't sure.

The front doors are glass, with more of the fifties style. Andy holds the door open for her and she enters into a wash of music and raised voices. Andy steers her to the waitress at the podium and he gestures with four fingers held up, to indicate a table for four. They are shown to a booth looking out on the drive-in spots. Lots of vinyl and Formica in pink and green surrounds them. Another waitress, who looks decidedly grouchy, plunks four waters in front of them and tosses down some straws. Andy passes around menus.

Allison looks up when she hears Brian tapping on the glass. She sees Bender, looking as always like he is coming from somewhere more important. When he joins them, he brings the scent of marijuana. He slides into the seat next to Allison. Brian is sorting through pocket change, apparently looking for quarters.

"Van Halen is up next," is Bender's greeting. Bender looks at Brian and says, "There's no point in putting more quarters in the jukebox, Dork. It's full when it's so crowded and just plays them all in order. 'Jump' is next, the only tolerable song in there." He pulls some wadded bills out of his jean jacket and uncrumples them. When he has them flattened out, he digs around in his pockets and comes up with three pennies. "Spot me thirty five cents, Sporto?"

Andy rolls his eyes and rummages in his letterman jacket, coming up with some change, which he hands over. "What are you going to do for beer at the party, Bender?"

Bender opens his jean jacket and flashes them a glimpse of a pint bottle. "I'm all set."

When the waitress returns, she smiles at Bender, a slow smile that makes her look sultry. She leans against the booth and says to Bender, "What do you want, sweetheart? The usual?"

"Hey Patty. You keeping warm at night?" Brian is gaping at them and Allison is looking on with great interest. She's never seen someone flirt in real life. Even Andy is paying attention to the pair.

Patty leans down and whispers something in Bender's ear. Allison can see a small cross on a gold chain dangling between her breasts, which seem in danger of falling out.

"You let me know, Patty, any time you like." Bender gives her one of his crooked smiles, mischief in his eyes.

Patty stands straight again, jotting down something on her pad. She turns to Brian with a look of utter indifference and drawls, "What can I get you?"

Brian asks for a fish sandwich platter and a cherry milkshake. Allison points at an item, a burger and fries combo. Andy urges her to get a milkshake as well. She manages to mumble, "Vanilla," just loud enough for Patty to hear her. Andy orders a double bacon burger with onion rings and a chocolate milkshake.

When Patty leaves, Brian asks Bender, "What did she say to you?"

"Never kiss and tell," Bender advises. Then he groans. Duran Duran has come on the jukebox.

"…the frog was really nothing special. You see, the rat's a ventriloquist." Bender sits back to watch their reaction to the punchline of his joke. Brian can't stop laughing. Andy is laughing too, and even Allison is smiling. Then Claire walks by with two girlfriends, on her way to the restrooms, and Bender's smile drops off his face. Andy is still laughing, but Brian and Allison are watching Bender with concern. Bender's eyes follow Claire all the way to the bathroom, then he picks up his burger. Allison returns to her fries and Brian sips his milkshake, but they watch Bender covertly.

"Bender…" Allison starts, unsure if this is a good idea. "Don't let her get to you."

"Let her get to me? No way!" is Bender's vehement response. "She can kiss Chad all she wants. It doesn't matter to me."

Uh oh, this is worse than Allison initially thought. He's gone to the trouble to learn the name of Claire's new boyfriend. He's still mad as hell, still hung up on her rejection. Allison sighs. There's not much she can do. She and Brian exchange a look. She gives a little shrug.

Claire's appearance puts a damper on their evening. Bender is trying to act his ordinary bigger than life personality, but his heart isn't in it. He pushes his rumpled bills and change towards Andy and says, "Settle for me, Sporto. The night is young and a party awaits me." And he's gone.

Allison is absorbed in Brian and Andy's argument about Illinois State versus Iowa State, and is surprised to look up and see two girls stopped at their table. They are the two girls who accompanied Claire to the bathroom. They seem to shine with money and style, head to foot perfection. One is blonde, the other is a brunette, but they both have the same expressions on their faces, haughty scorn.

"Ugh, Andy, I can't say I like your taste in girls," says the brunette. She laughs as she looks Allison up and down.

The blonde is looking at Brian with open disgust. "What are you doing with him? Since when are you a physics dork? Really Andy, the company you keep these days... I don't know what happened to you. You used to be cool."

Claire is loitering a few tables away, looking uncomfortable.

"What happened to me was real life, something you know nothing about, Mandy," Andy growls. "Go ahead and tell me my girlfriend isn't beautiful. You know she is. You're just jealous."

"Look at her clothes. She's a freak. You can do better than her." Mandy continues to scan Allison, scorn on her face.

"If you mean yourself, I'd rather die celibate than go with you. You're a buncha fakes."

Allison has been sinking deeper and deeper into the back of the booth, slowly sliding down to make herself inconspicuous. Andy grabs her hand across the table and says, "Allison is the best thing to happen to me in a long time."

"C'mon, Mandy, we have better things to do than hang out with losers and freaks." The brunette looks around and says, "Where's Claire?"

The two girls collect Claire and saunter out, back to their friends in the drive-in section. Claire looks back once, a troubled expression on her face. Andy, Allison and Brian watch the three girls walk back to the silver Mercedes Allison. As they watch, someone who must be Chad grabs Claire by the upper arm. He looks angry and shakes Claire a little. She bows her head and he lets go, still looking angry. They get into his Mercedes and Andy and Allison look at each other.

"That Chad is bad news. Claire has bit off more than she can chew," Andy says.

Allison doesn't like Claire, but she doesn't hate her either and feels worried for her. But then her mind goes back to what Andy said. She, Allison, is the best thing to happen to Andy in a long time? Her heart turns over and her cheeks flush. She shyly meets Andy's eyes and says, "You're the best thing to happen to me, ever."

Patty interrupts their silent communion by slapping down the check. Andy looks away and picks it up. "Hey, Bender left me a dollar too much."

"That's for Patty." Allison is quite sure of herself when she says this.

"Well, OK, I guess. That Bender is weird," is Andy's assessment.

Allison thinks back to detention and repeats Andy's words. "We're all pretty bizarre."

Brian interrupts another wordless communication between Allison and Andy. "Guys, I better get going. My parents want me home by 10:30."

Andy snaps back to reality. He gathers up Brian's share of the bill and adds his own money to the little pile, and they are ready to go. When they walk past the popular kids' cars, Allison notes the Mercedes is gone.

They get Brian home in plenty of time. It is only 10:15 when they pull up at Allison's house. The house is dark and her parents car is still gone.

"Am I really the best thing to happen to you in a long time, Andy?"

Andy turns to look at Allison and reaches out to touch her cheek. "Yes, definitely."

What starts as a slow, sweet kiss becomes intense. Allison's hand slips into Andy's jacket, to feel the smooth fabric of his t-shirt, and under that, his warm chest. She slides her hand around to the small of his back to pull him closer. The transmission hump gets in her way as they lean over the center console. She breaks their kiss to murmur, "Do you want to come inside?"

"Won't your parents be home soon?"

"They won't care. They don't care about anything that has to do with me."

Andy considers this, brow wrinkled. "Maybe not tonight, Allison. Maybe another time."

Allison doesn't conceal her disappointment very well. "Maybe next time," Andy says. "I really need to get home. Don't want my dad breathing down my neck. OK?"

"OK. I guess I'll see you Monday?"

"First thing in the morning. Sweet dreams, Allison."

Allison is sure her dreams will be sweet tonight.


	3. The End of School

_Thank you to my beta_ **vaguekiwi** _for all her assistance._

Life settles into a routine. Allison and Andy snatch moments of privacy in their secret vestibule. Allison gets used to not being invisible. Mandy and her friend, and a few other girls, sneer at Allison every chance they get, but she finds other girls act like she is actually there. Janie Jepsome even smiles at her when they share a lab bench in chemistry. Guys pay more attention to her too, especially the wrestling team.

"They don't understand why I like you," Andy explains. "We used to be really tight. We train together every day after school and do meets on weekends, and sometimes we spend the night on the road. But honestly, none of them are very intellectually challenging." Andy looks out at a blossoming tree. "They're boring. And not very nice to kids like Brian and Lester."

Andy finds that intellectual challenge is something he enjoys, once Allison gets him thinking. She talks about the nature of humanity and the meaning of life. She even gets him to read The Stranger, by Albert Camus, but it's a bit too weird for Andy. "I mean, why did he shoot him? It doesn't make sense."

Brian and Allison get to know each other better on their walks home. Brian does like Camus and they talk about existentialism, among other things. He introduces her to André Gide and she finds she has over a dozen new books to read.

The Breakfast Club meets at Sharkey's every Saturday night. Claire is usually there too, and Allison can tell Bender is still hung up on her.

One night at Sharkey's Allison is in the bathroom fixing her eyeliner when Claire comes in. Allison looks at her through the mirror. Their eyes meet and Claire holds the look longer than Allison expects. She opens her mouth but finally just turns away and enters a stall. Seeing her up close, Allison notices Claire has rings under her eyes and she seems... diminished.

Bender has left for one of his parties, so Allison mentions seeing Claire. "She looks sad," Allison says.

"I don't think life with Chad agrees with her. He's an asshole. I don't know why Claire stays with him." Andy dismisses the subject with a shrug.

But Brian doesn't let go of Claire as easily. He says, "There's the Stockholm syndrome."

"Stock- what?" Andy asks.

Allison thinks she has read about this but lets Brian explain, "It's when a victim identifies with and feels affection for their abuser."

"You think Claire is being abused?" Andy looks puzzled. "I mean, Chad's an asshole, but abusing her?"

"There is more than physical abuse, but yeah, I think he must be at least physically intimidating her. I've seen him grab her arm pretty hard, pull her around or shake her. That's enough."

"But why does she put up with it?" Andy looks even more confused now.

"People sometimes think they have no choice, or they're scared, or that they deserve it." When Allison and Andy look at Brian with surprise, he says, "My father used to hit my mom, until she left him. My father is actually my step-father, her second husband."

"Wow, that's heavy. You think Claire is like that?" Andy asks.

"From what I've seen, yes." Brian is twisting a paper napkin so hard it is shredding. "I liked Claire. It was kind of not nice to ditch us after detention, but I liked her."

"No one deserves that, even if you didn't like her," Allison says.

Andy looks stunned by the turn in the conversation. Allison slides over and puts her hand on Andy's. "There's nothing we can do, Andy. This is Claire's life, not yours or mine."

* * *

Spring comes and it is time for finals. Brian has an elaborate study schedule worked out and does nothing but study the last week before finals start. He tries to convince Allison and Andy to join him at the library after school, but Andy has practice and Allison prefers to go home and work on her drawings. Who knows what Bender gets up to.

The semester draws to an end. Allison, Andy, Brian and Bender all take their last exams and meet at the front entrance when classes are dismissed.

"So do you guys want to go to the lake tomorrow, or somewhere else?" Andy asks.

"We have school tomorrow," says Brian.

"Aw, man, no one takes the last days of the semester seriously. What would we do but sit in our classes playing hangman? Believe me, the teachers don't care." Andy for once is the one advocating misdeeds, not Bender. "I've never gone the last three days. It's like a tradition."

"Sporto's right, teachers don't even take attendance," Bender adds.

"So, the lake?" Andy prods. "I'll have the Bronco."

Brian looks at each Breakfast Club member in turn. Allison has already decided she will join Andy in mischief. She gives Brian one of her looks, the look that says "Come on, do it!" She accompanies the look with a noise of impatience.

"OK, OK, I'll come," Brian says in exasperation. "My parents will kill me if they find out. My death will be on your conscience if I get caught."

* * *

Andy picks up Allison first and they swing by Brian's next. Bender is meeting them at Shermer Park. Allison suspects Bender doesn't want anyone to see the house he lives in.

Once they get Bender and get on the highway, Allison rolls down her window and breathes the fresh air rushing in. The force of the wind exhilarates her. She is so free, free of school, free of her parent's house, free of her old isolation, free to be herself.

* * *

Bender looks out of place on a beach. His black t-shirt and wallet chain and boots all seem uncomfortable for beachwear. He refuses to come down onto the sand, and slouches on a picnic table, legs stretched out before him. As Allison reaches the beach proper, where the sand starts, she looks back to see a mother pull her child away and detour around Bender, giving him a wide berth.

The water is too cold to swim in, as Allison discovers when she takes off her shoes and dips her feet into the water. She quickly pulls them out.

She still finds it strange that Andy wants to hold hands in public. She is so used to being shunned and ridiculed, it still seems amazing people like Andy and Bender want to be seen with her where anyone could see them.

They stroll along the water, Andy holding her hand as she half listens to a convoluted story Brian is telling. The wind off the lake is cold.

"... so my cousin Kendall told the guys he didn't want trouble, but they beat him up. He had a black eye like... like a big bruise. So Kendall's mom, my aunt, she says..."

Andy notices Allison shivering and gives her his sweat jacket. She pulls up the hood and retreats into the warmth. Andy gives her hand an extra squeeze.

* * *

When they approach Bender, to get him to join them for hotdogs from the nearby stand, they find him talking to two giggling teenage girls.

"Later, chicas," Bender says, giving them his patented smile.

Once they have lunch, Andy asks, "So what are you guys doing for the summer?"

"I've got a roofing job with my uncle," says Bender.

"My mom is taking me to get clothes for camp tomorrow," answers Brian

"Camp? Since when are you going to summer camp?" Andy asks.

"I found out last week, I got into the STEM aeronautics camp, full scholarship."

"Aeronautics?" Bender makes it sound like Brian is speaking in tongues.

"Aeronautics... working with airplanes, space shuttle craft, rockets, anything that flies through the air."

"You're going to be a rocket scientist?" Bender laughs at this idea.

"Yeah, maybe. I'm strong in math and physics." Brian sounds defensive. "Why not? Someone has to build rockets. Why not me?"

"Hah!" Allison spits at Bender, upholding Brian's conviction that he can design rockets or 'anything else that flies.'

Andy laughs too, but he is convinced. "I'll be able to say I know a rocket scientist!"

"What are you doing this summer, Andy?" Brian asks.

"Training. My father has my training schedule already. I'm training with the team 2 hours a day three days a week, and I'll be doing weight training with my father the other two days. I only get weekends off because Coach told my dad athletes need to rest their bodies for best performance."

"And you, Allison?" Brian continues his questioning.

"I was accepted to Shermer Tech art class, drawing 101."

Bender finishes his hot dog and says, "Well, this has been entertaining and informational, but I gotta take care of business. See you later." He turns to leave.

"You're leaving? How are you getting back to Shermer?" Andy asks.

"Angel and her friend are giving me a ride." He leers in the direction of the two giggly girls sitting at the picnic table.

Allison pulls his sleeve. She gets a small notebook from her purse and scribbles on a page.

"These are our numbers." She hands the paper over. She knows Bender will not give out his own number. He's never once disclosed anything about his house or family, not since detention.

"Give us a call and we can go to Sharkey's," Andy says.

Bender puts the paper in his pocket and says, "Yeah, sure." He departs to meet Angel and her friend.

* * *

That is the last they see of Bender. He doesn't call them. Andy is disappointed, but Allison is not surprised. Despite having two sets of friends, the heavy metal guys and the Breakfast Club, plus various girlfriends, he's basically a loner.


	4. Lost and Found

With Bender off doing Bender things, and Brian at summer camp, Allison and Andy are the only ones left from the Breakfast Club.

Tuesday night, Andy lies to his father, saying he is going to Sharkey's with the team. Instead he goes to Allison's house, where they have been hanging out during the day. Tonight they are doubly free, as her parents are on their yearly vacation to the Bahamas.

Andy is stretched out across the sectional sofa this evening, idly flipping through the cable channels. He stops on MTV. Allison is sitting on the floor drawing him, a quick sketch that captures his athletic poise and defined muscles. She is distracted by a video showing a naked Prince crawling across a floor littered with flowers. She watches for a moment, then loses interest, returning to her sketch.

Andy sits up and leans over her shoulder to see what she is drawing. Allison feels exposed, letting Andy see something that has come from her heart, but she lets him look.

He slides down onto the floor next to her. "This is really good." He continues looking. "This is what you see?"

"Yeah," she breathes. She's never let anyone look at her sketchbook. She feels unprotected, as if her chest were cracked open, showing her heart. Like those pictures of Jesus you see on prayer cards.

Andy's eyes trap hers and they lean into a kiss. She melts into him, his arms around her. He pulls her closer. Her hand moves from Andy's waist, under his shirt. She feels warm skin, smooth muscle.

Allison ignores the ringing of the phone, until she hears her own name on the answering machine. It's Bender. She pulls away from Andy's embrace and dives for the cordless sitting on the coffee table.

Before Allison can do more than gasp Hello, Bender is talking, quick in a low voice.

"Allison, is Sporto there? Does he have the Bronco?'

Allison replies, "Yes, why-"

Bender cuts her off before she can complete her question. "Look, it's my sister, I need help finding her."

Bender has a sister? And why would he be finding her? Is she lost?

"Pick me up, my place," he continues urgently. "432 Jenkins Road. Hurry." He hangs up.

Andy is sitting on the edge of the couch, waiting for a report.

"He needs help, it's his sister," Allison explains breathlessly. "Let's go."

Andy is confused. "What sister? Go where?" But he is putting on his shoes, getting ready to go.

In a few moments, Allison is hurrying them out of the house, grabbing her purse on the way out. Andy knows where Jenkins Road is and they pull away from the curb, tires squealing.

"That's a bad neighborhood, Jenkins Road," Andy says as he takes a left at a stop sign. Allison doesn't care, only that they get there as quickly as possible.

432 Jenkins Road is a dilapidated one story house, paint peeling from the wooden clapboard. One window is boarded up and vines creep up the side of the house. A step is missing from the stairs up to the porch. Bender easily jumps it in his rush to the Bronco.

Allison has clambered into the back seat and Bender takes the front seat. "What's going on, Bender?" Andy asks.

"It's my sister, she's run away from home. If I don't get her back in time for the social worker visit tomorrow morning, they'll take her away." Bender's voice cracks at the end of his rushed explanation.

Andy immediately pulls away from the curb. "Where to, Bender? Where would she be?"

Allison stifles her many questions and focuses on the immediate details necessary. "What does she look like? Do you know what she's wearing? Does she have friends she can go to?"

"She's 10. Her hair is sort of blonde, cut short. She looks like a boy, boy's clothes, jeans and an old red sweatshirt. I don't think she has friends." He pauses and collects his thoughts. "She might be at the skate park, Andy. You know where that is?"

Andy does know. He peels out again and gets headed in the right direction, towards the industrial side of town. The skate park, which Allison has never heard of before, turns out to be one block south of the down at heel end of downtown Shermer. The chain link fence enclosing the skate space is low and Bender climbs it easily.

"Alex!" Bender yells. "Al!" He disappears from view as he slides down the incline. He reappears on the far side, near a ticket booth. He thrashes about in some bushes to the right of the booth, inspects a nook to the left. He returns, scrambling over the fence, shaking his head.

"Where to, Bender?" Andy immediately asks.

"Shermer Park, down by the river. She hangs out down there sometimes." Allison puts a hand on Bender's shoulder.

They spread out when they reach the park, sweeping the area near the river. Bender calls her name. They come together again at the far side of the park. No luck.

Bender directs them to an abandoned grain elevator, a disused train siding, an empty lot. Alex is nowhere to be found. As they sit in the Bronco after searching the empty lot, Allison hears a familiar sound she can't place, a rattling, dragging sound. Bender bolts out of his slumped position and out of the vehicle. Allison looks ahead and sees what looks like a boy on a skateboard, short dirty blonde hair and a red sweatshirt. It must be Alex. She is rolling downhill, gathering speed. She gracefully guides her skateboard in gentle arcs as she approaches.

She comes to an abrupt stop in front of Bender and expertly flips her skateboard up into her waiting hand. Her hair is rumpled and Allison sees a few twigs clinging to the elbows of her sweatshirt. She has a smear of dirt on her cheek. She looks like she has been crying, but has a hard, angry look on her face now.

"Al! Where have you been? Are you OK?" Bender for once has shed his cool, nonchalant attitude and looks beside himself with worry. He grabs her and tucks her into a one armed hug.

She squirms out of Bender's embrace and says, "Jesus, get off. You're acting like Aunt Marge." She lets Bender keep one hand on her shoulder, though.

"Alex, you have to come back home." Bender's voice is gentle, almost apologetic.

"Screw that. She can go to hell. I'm not taking it anymore."

"Al, you could end up in some group home. Please come home." Alex looks adamant. "Look, I've been there, it's not some place you want to go." Bender pauses and adds, "They'll take your skateboard."

Alex has been looking off, arms folded, refusing to look at any of them, but now she swings back. She turns worried eyes up to look at Bender. "My skateboard? They'd take my skateboard?"

"Yes, Al. They'll take your skateboard and no roaming around after school. You'll be under lock and key. You don't want to end up there."

"But Ma, I can't stand Ma anymore. She won't leave me alone, she won't get off my back." Alex's eyes look ready to spill over with tears, but she blinks them back.

"Let me take care of Ma. I should've done this long ago. Alex, I promise I'll get her off your back." Alex allows Bender to put his arm around her shoulders and she leans against him. "C'mon, let's go home."

They turn back towards the Bronco and Alex seems to notice Allison and Andy for the first time."Who are these losers?"

"These are my friends, Allison and Andy."


	5. The End

Allison is surprised and flattered to be named as a friend of Bender's. She suspects not many people have earned that honor.

Alex, it turns out, has been on the loose since lunchtime, and she admits she is hungry. Sharkey's is out of the question, so they go to a fast food drive through. In his haste, Bender forgot his wallet so Andy pays for Alex's burger meal. She is sitting in the back of the Bronco with Bender, and dives into her fries with indecent enthusiasm.

While Alex is occupied with her food, Bender scooches over so that he can see Allison and Andy from the back seat.

"Thanks for helping me." Bender is still devoid of his usual sarcastic, 'Who cares?' attitude. Allison has never seen him this serious for this long. "I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't found her."

"Hey, I have a little sister too," Andy responds.

"We understand, Bender." Allison has no siblings, but she doesn't need one to know how much a person can care.

Soon they pull up at 432 Jenkins Street. Alex doesn't say goodbye, but Bender says, "Thanks. I owe you."

"Call us any time, Bender," Allison calls after him.

* * *

The next day Allison comes home from drawing class and opens her sketchbook. She wants to finish her sketch of Alex on her skateboard. The phone starts ringing, but she ignores it and gets out her pencils and begins sharpening her 7B pencil, the darkest one. The point snaps when she hears Bender's voice. She snatches the receiver up.

"Bender, what's wrong? Is your sister ok?"

"Alex is fine. Something has to be wrong for me to call you? Sorry to disappoint you."

Allison is relieved but puzzled. What could John Bender possibly want?

"You and Andy doing anything this Friday night?"

"We're going to Sharkey's with Brian. He gets back from camp tomorrow night. Did you want to do something with us?"

"Yeah. Can I catch you guys there? Seven o'clock?"

"Sure, we'd be happy to see you." Thinking this might be her only chance to talk to Bender alone, she quickly says, "Thank you for trusting us, Bender. I'm really glad you could ask us for help."

"Whatever. Later." He hangs up without saying goodbye. Allison figures that's the most she'll get out of him. At least he knows how she feels.

* * *

At 6:45 Friday night, Andy pulls up in the Bronco. Allison hurries down the porch stairs and clambers in, wearing her blue cocktail dress for this occasion, the reunion of the breakfast club. They grab Brian on the way and enter Sharkey's, which is more crowded than it has been all summer. School starts on Monday, and the students are back from their various summer travels and past times. They get seated in a booth and Patty comes to hand out menus. Allison, facing the door, sees Bender slouching against the hostess podium, chatting with another waitress, obviously flirting again. What is it about that lopsided smile that is so irresistible to women? Allison decides she'll have to do a sketch tomorrow, try to capture the Bender charisma.

Bender eventually joins them and they order their meals. Brian is telling a convoluted story about putting a camp counselor's underwear in the freezer when Claire walks by, on her way to the restroom. Bender's eyes follow her, but he says nothing. Allison glances outside and sees Chad. He and another rich guy are talking rather heatedly. Several of the popular girls are standing by looking worried. Allison's attention is called back to her friends when Andy bursts out laughing.

"Yeah, and you should have seen his face when he realized all of his underwear was in there. He had to hang them up in the counselor's bathroom to thaw."

"I can't believe it, the brain has grown a set of balls," is Bender's approving remark.

Brian continues to entertain them with stories from camp. Claire walks by again, on her way back to join her friends, but Allison doesn't pay much attention. Suddenly she is startled by Bender standing up on the seat of their booth. He jumps over her and lands in the aisle. Before she can really register this, he's out the door. The three of them, Brian, Andy and Allison watch as Bender pounds his way down the sidewalk, towards a commotion. Andy is in sudden action too, pushing Brian out of the booth and following Bender's steps. Brian dithers for a moment, then he too runs out.. Allison follows quickly.

What she finds is Chad holding Claire by the arm, anger on his face. He's yelling, "You slut. You've been cheating on me." Claire looks terrified. There is a red mark on her face. Bender deliberately walks right up to Chad and gets in his face.

"You hit her again, you'll have me to deal with." Chad releases Claire to cope with Bender. Claire looks around. She seems bewildered. Allison darts out and takes her by the hand, pulls her safely away from the two men.

"Yeah? You and who else?" is Chad's insolent reply. He moves to push Bender out of the way and step towards Claire. Allison shoves Claire behind her back. Andy and Brian materialize and also place themselves between Chad and Claire. But Bender has the jump on them all. He grabs Chad's arm and twists. Chad's forward motion adds momentum to Bender's move and in a flash, Chad is up on his toes, arm twisted behind his back. The fight that ensues is hard to follow, but it ends with Chad covering his nose and whimpering as blood pours out.

Claire is sobbing and Allison puts her arm around her. Claire turns and says, "I'm sorry Allison."

"You remember me every time you look in the mirror at that broken nose, asshole," Bender is saying. "Remember what happens to scumbags who hit women."

He turns away, towards Claire. Where the knife came from, Allison doesn't know, but she sees it in Chad's bloody hand. She calls a warning and Bender turns in time to catch the knife point on his left forearm rather than his back. Andy and Brian rush in now. The knife clatters to the ground just as pulsing red and blue lights appear, three cop cars screeching into the parking lot. Chad stays on the ground where he fell.

Claire has been weeping and shuddering against Allison's shoulder.

"This is all my fault," Claire laments.

Allison takes Claire by the shoulders and turns her. "No," Allison says. "No, this is not your fault. This is all Chad's fault. He's the abusive one. He's the filth who started it all."

An ambulance arrives and Chad is loaded on a stretcher and wheeled to the ambulance's waiting open doors. Bender is sitting on a picnic bench, surrounded by three police officers. A medic is bandaging his arm. His jean jacket arm is in tatters. A fourth police officer approaches Claire and Allison. As the police officer walks her towards the ambulance, Allison sees Claire wiping her face and she seems to be calming down.

When all the cop cars and the ambulance leave, Bender and Claire are standing a few feet apart. Claire turns to him and he puts his hand on her shoulder. Allison herds Brian and Andy away.

"Leave them alone for a minute, Andy." They sit down at another picnic table and watch the two.

As they watch, Bender folds Claire into an embrace. They can hear her sobs, and indistinct speech. The two pull apart and seem to be doing some serious talking. Bender hugs her again, then releases her to approach Allison, Andy and Brian.

"Hey, Claire drove her dad's car tonight. I'm going to make sure she gets home safe." Bender flips them a wave and is off.

"I guess we need to get home Andy. You and Brian don't want to be out after curfew."

 **Epilogue**

The next Saturday night finds the breakfast club together. They no longer fit in a booth, what with Claire and Bender together again, and Brian bringing along Susie, a girl he met at camp. They need to pull two tables together to seat them all.

Claire seats herself between Allison and Bender. While Bender is flirting with Patty, Claire grabs Allison's hand. "Allison, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for ditching you guys. I'm sorry for ignoring you." Claire looks close to tears. "You were right about those so-called friends. Mandy and Heidi thought it was my fault Chad was so... was so..."

"Abusive." Allison supplies the word.

"Yes. And they still think it's my fault Chad has a broken nose."

"Well, that's complete bullshit. I'm glad Bender broke his nose. He deserved it. And I'm glad you're with us now."

Oblivious to the intense girl talk going on between Allison and Claire, Bender launches into a joke, "A naked blonde walks into a bar with a poodle under one arm and a two-foot salami under the other."

He is interrupted by Patty arriving with their food. Claire squeezes Allison's hand before they dig into their meals.

Bender continues, "She lays the poodle on the table. Bartender says, 'I suppose you won't be needing a drink.' Naked lady says..."

The breakfast club is all together again, as if the last six months never happened. This is how it should have been, on that fateful Monday. Claire might have been duped by Heidi and Mandy, but now she knows who her true friends are.


End file.
